College Sports

Calhoun comfortable in charge

Air Force Academy - The departure and arrival ceremonies are over, and Troy Calhoun is sitting firmly in the head football coach's chair at Air Force.

After 23 years of Fisher DeBerry at the helm, Calhoun slowly and surely is changing the guard of Air Force football. He's not nervous about following the DeBerry legend, and welcomes the former coach's influence. But there's no question Calhoun is bringing a new, youthful exuberance to the program and that he is in charge.

"This is a very challenging but also motivating place," Calhoun said last week during a brief break from the academy's summer sports camp program. "We're all wondering what's going to happen this first season. But that's why you put the shoulder pads on and find out."

Calhoun, 39, left a promising coaching career in the NFL when his alma mater called. When DeBerry departed, he said Calhoun, a former AFA quarterback who graduated from the academy in 1989, was his choice to succeed him as well.

"It's humbling," Calhoun said of sitting in DeBerry's former chair. "Candidly, he's a guy whose influence you want to be around here forever. I want to do everything I possibly can to make sure the imprint of Fisher DeBerry is carried through from squad to squad, from generation to generation."

DeBerry compiled a 169-109-1 record as Air Force's head coach. But the Falcons went 4-8 last year, their third consecutive losing season. Calhoun said there is some rebuilding to do, and it starts with recruiting.

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"We completely evaluated the program and there will be some changes made in how we play on both sides of the ball," he said. "We have to get to the point where we have a chance to win more Mountain West Conference games and we have to be more consistent in Falcon Stadium in terms of how we compete against the other service academies (Army and Navy)."

Calhoun is making some tall orders. Air Force's best record in eight seasons in the MWC was 2000, when it won five league games. The Falcons haven't defeated Army or Navy at Falcon Stadium in the past three seasons.

When Air Force begins its season Sept. 1 against South Carolina State at Falcon Stadium, DeBerry's triple-option offense will be history.

"We won't have 50, 60 running plays," Calhoun said. "We want to boil our running game down to utilize some motion and different formations. We want to be a zone running team that runs some option."

Defensively, Calhoun sees the Falcons playing more aggressively, doing a better job stopping third-down conversions and creating more turnovers.

"You can create some spunk and energy within your team by being an attacking defense," Calhoun said.

Calhoun plans to get the job done at Air Force with a dedicated coaching staff that understands the academy's mission and a hard-nosed style of play.

"This is a no-frills place in football," Calhoun said. "We're not worried about having fancy shoelaces. We want our trademark stamped on Air Force football."

Calhoun's transition from the NFL to Air Force was hectic. His final game as an assistant coach with the Houston Texans was Dec. 31. He was on the job at Air Force the next day.

Calhoun quickly put together a coaching staff that includes many former Air Force players. Some were on DeBerry's staff.

"I love the staff that we were able to put together," Calhoun said. "This is a remarkable institution. You find incredible young people here who are motivated, competitive and team-oriented."